Chapter 1

Pant... Pant... Pant...

Pants could be heard through the darkened forest as a young child weaved her way through the tall trees. Shouts are being yelled and sirens sounded as bright lights scoured the dark forestry.

"Don't let her get away!"

"Hurry!"

Tall dark figures tried to take a hold of the child but she was too fast for them as she dodged and ducked their grabby arms before disappearing even further into the trees. Her escape route had taken her deeper into the woods before stumbling into a narrow canyon with rushing river currents that could tear a person apart if they were to ever fall in.

"There she is!"

"Grab her!"

The child could hear the approaching footsteps of her captors so she took the only option she had. Preparing herself, she took a huge leap of fate as she fell into the watery depths below, letting the currents to take her wherever they're going.

Namimori: a peaceful country with lush-green forestry and friendly people. The sky is always blue, the sun shining brightly, the birds chirping away, and the cherry blossom petals blowing in the wind. Yes, quite peaceful-

KABOOM!

...In just 10 secs.

"Lambo!" Tsuna yelled at the cow-suited hitman who was currently crying. His room in a complete mess, thanks to his grenade bombs as another attempt to kill Reborn. Said hitman is unfazed at the destruction as he snoozed throughout the whole mayhem.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana called. "You're going to be late!"

That caused the brunette to rocket out of his room, luckily dressed in his uniform, took a toast and was out of the door while giving a rush "Itekimasu!"

As he ran along the streets to school, he didn't notice the two pairs of eyes watching his every movement up on the telephone pole. One smaller sitting on the head of the other.

"Is he the one?" one asked, judging by the voice, it's a female.

"Ah." Reborn replied.

"I see."

"So are you?"

The female didn't reply as she jumped from one pole to another to reach her destination.

Namimori Middle,

Tsuna sighed in relief as he sat in his seat, glad to be in school on time or he would have to deal with Hibari and his tonfas. He shuddered at that. The bell had rang not long ago but the teacher had not arrived. He found it strange since his homeroom teacher is always punctual. And it seems his other classmates had realized it as well.

"Where's Hashimoto-sensei?" one female student asked.

"She's always here right when the bell rings." Kyoko said.

"Last I saw her, she was still in her office but she seems to be with another student." Hana said.

"A transfer student, maybe?"

"Who knows."

Then, the classroom doors opened to reveal said teacher before closing but if you took a harder look behind the teacher when she opened the door, you could see someone standing behind her.

"Sorry, I'm late. But I have good news." the teacher announced. "Today, we'll be having a new transfer student." The whole classroom was uproared with murmurs and whispers of the news. "Enter."

The doors opened again as the transferee stepped into the room before closing the door behind them. The boys, excluding Yamamoto, Gokudera and Tsuna, inwardly cheered at the new student being a girl as she took her place beside the teacher.

"Eto. Today, we'll be welcoming a new student to our class." Hashimoto-sensei said as she gestured the girl to write her name on the board which she complied. "She's from South Korea but came into Japan due to some circumstances. I hope you would take good care of her."

The girl has shoulder-length jet-black hair tied into a spiky ponytail and has a pale complexion, suggesting the girl is sickly. Adding the fact she's wearing a leather eyepatch over her right eye, exposing only her left sky-blue eye, they can imagine the possible circumstances she had experienced. Around her neck is a chain necklace with a strangely big opalite crystal pendant. The pendant could easily be as long as your hand and as thin as three fingers combined.

"Kobayakawa Jae desu." the girl said in fluent Japanese. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

"Now, are there any questions?" a few hands were raised and the teacher chose the one in front. "Yes, Hanamura-kun?"

"What's with that big crystal around your neck?"

Jae then fingered the rock before replying, "it's a family heirloom. I'm supposed to keep it with me at all times."

"But aren't you scared that it'll get stolen?" Kyoko asked. The girl shook her head as she rubbed her finger across the smooth surface.

"So why did you come to Namimori?" Hana asked.

"Just like sensei said, it's partly because due to some circumstances and partly because Namimori is my mother's hometown."

"Are you a Korean? Why do you have a Japanese Surname?"

"I believe it's what you Japanese called Sōshi-kaimei. Both of my parents were Koreans before migrating to Japan so we took on a Japanese Surname as by policy, though it's optional."

The other students wanted to asked more but the bell rang again, signaling the next period is about to start.

"Alright, that's enough. I'll now assign Kobayakawa-san's seating."

Tsuna was staring curiously at the new student; from the outside, she looks cold and anti-social like Gokudera-kun but obediently answer any questions you ask her. Whatever the circumstances she had faced must have traumatised her. He could tell, from his Hyper Intuition, that the girl is not what she seems but he couldn't feel any bad intention from her.

"Alright, you'll be seating beside Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun. He's the one with the brown hair at the back." Tsuna snapped out of his daze when the teacher called his name. He watched as the new student nodded before walking down his row. When she reached her seat, which seem to magically appear beside him, she turned to him before bowing, surprising many while shocking some.

"It's nice to meet you." she said before whispering the last part. "Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna's eyes widened as the girl straightened up and sat down at her seat when lessons began.

'H-How did she know?' Tsuna thought. 'Is Kobayakawa-san part of the mafia as well?'

Lunch break,

Tsuna and his friends are sitting on the roof top eating their bentos. Tsuna leaned against the fences that lined the roof with the other two sitting at both sides, making a sort of triangle. As Tsuna ate his lunch, he couldn't help but be wary of the new student as he told what happaned at that moment.

"She's definitely being controlled by Mukuro! She even has that accused eye-patch on her as well!" Gokudera exclaimed. "And I bet that crystal around her neck is the trident under an illusion conjured by him!"

"But Mukuro has already been imprisoned in the Vindice." Tsuna reasoned. "Besides, she didn't feel like she's being controlled."

"...If the Judaime says so."

"I agree with Tsuna. She doesn't seem bad." Yamamoto inputted with a sort of forlorn look in his eyes. "Just kind of lonely."

Unknown to them, said girl was perched on top of the water tower with a lunchbox and Reborn by her side. Reborn was sipping on some hot tea while Jae was eating a tempura. Leon perched on top of Jae eating his share of bits of onigiri from Jae.

"They're better than I expected. I didn't think Decimo could trust me that much, considering what happened during the Kokuyo Land incident." Jae said.

"Fn, of course. Still considering about my offer?"

"...The Rain and Sky seems to trust me but the Storm is still raging. I need his true opinion about me before deciding, seonsaeng-nim."

"Fn, still calling me that after so many years. You still haven't change, Jae."

All he had as a reply was a playful smile.

seonsaeng-nim: master, as in teacher in Korean

Sōshi-kaimei: a real policy that are implmented for Koreans that come to live in Japan.